A Young Man Comes to London by Michael Arlen
ARLEN, Michael; BEATON, Cecil (Illus.) A Young Man Comes to London: an original short story. London: Marshalsea Press, [1931]
Handsomely bound in patterned cloth, this beautifully produced book was issued as a souvenir of the opening of The Dorchester Hotel, London. It contains an amusing short story by Michael Arlen, accompanied by charming illustrations by Cecil Beaton. The hotel is mentioned in Arlen’s story when one of the characters, the down and out 13th viscount Rockneil, notorious around Mayfair for not paying his bills, tries his luck at The Dorchester on its opening night (18 April 1931).
Arlen’s story is accompanied by 3 pieces on The Dorchester Hotel: ‘A Brief History of a New Enterprise’ by Sir Francis Towle; ‘An Architect’s Problem – How it Was Solved’ by Professor C.H. Reilly; and ‘Some Facts and Figures about the Dorchester’ by Sir Malcolm McAlpine.
48 pp; b/w illustrations by Cecil Beaton; 6 folding colour plates of the Dorchester; full-page advertisements following each of the four pieces. 4to (26x21cm), original publisher's decorated cloth, matching endpapers. Pictorial title label to front board. Spine faded. Occasional light foxing. Binding just starting. A fun and attractive book.
Michael Arlen (1895-1956) was a best-selling novelist, one of the finest chroniclers of Jazz Age notable for his portrayal of the glamorous and decadent world of the Young Bright Things.
'One fine afternoon in April, our hero walked out of lodgings in a state of melancholy that bordered on exaltation. His head was held high, his eyes were scornful. He scorned the world, and his way of showing it was to wear his felt hat over one eyebrow after the manner of the peerless d'Artagnan.'